Pak Hon-yong

Infobox Korean name
hangul=박헌영
hanja=朴憲永
mr=Pak Hŏn-yŏng
rr=Bak Heon-yeong

Pak Hon-yong (1900–1955) was one of the main leaders of the Korean communist movement during Japan's occupation (1910–1935).

Early life

He was born to a "yangban" family of the Yeonghae Park lineage in Sinyang-myeon, Yesan County, Chungcheongnam-do.

In 1919 he graduated from Kyŏngsŏng Ordinary High School, now Kyunggi High School. [cite web|url=http://parkssi.com/park-yeonghae/haenglog-heonyeong.htm|title=영해박씨 박헌영|work=Bakssi Jokbo website|accessdate=2006-04-11]

Political activities

In 1921 he joined the Shanghai branch of the Korean Communist Party, Irkutsk faction. He was secretary of the Korean Communist Youth League. In January 1922 he participated in the Comintern Far East People's Representative Council in Moscow.

Pak Hon-yong was arrested in Korea in April 1922. He was charged with being a Communist Party organizer. He was released in 1924 and became active as a reporter for the newspapers "Dong-a Ilbo" and "Chosun Ilbo".

Underground

On April 18 1925 Pak Hon-yong participated in the founding of the Korean Communist Party. From this point until the end of World War II his activities were underground.

After WWII

Late in August 1945 the Korean Communist Party was re-established. It had been officially disbanded in 1928. He became its secretary. On January 5 1946, as a representative of the Korean Communist Party, he announced at a foreign and domestic press conference that, supporting the decision of the Moscow conference of great powers (UK, US, Soviet Union), Korea was now in the process of a "democratic revolution".

In December 1946 he organized the South Korean Workers' Party, and became its first secretary. In September 1948, whilst keeping his role as secretary of the South Korean Workers' Party, he became Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of North Korea.

Pak Hon-yong became secretary of the Korean Workers' Party when the North and South parties united in April 1950.

Arrest and death

Pak Hon-yong was arrested on August 3 1953 in a purge of the South Korean Workers' Party faction by Kim Il-sung. On December 15 1955 he was sentenced to death and immediately placed before a firing squad.

Notes

ee also

*List of Korea-related topics
*Korean independence movement
*List of North Koreans
*Politics of North Korea

External links

* [http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/opinion/200411/kt2004110818494654140.htm "Korea Times" article by Andrei Lankov]
* [http://myhome.shinbiro.com/~mss1/pakhonyong.html Brief profile]